The sun rose through the clear morning sky as Lucas sat silently on the blue grass. Soft winds ruffled the foliage and his clothing. His breath was almost nonexistent as he was in a lucid state. His mind bounced around multiple ideas on what to base his martial arts on.

"Hmm?"

Walking out of the manor, Evélyne spotted Lucas. She regarded him for a few moments before deciding not to bother him as she headed down to the training yard. She grabbed hold of a well crafted yet plain wooden axe from the weapons rack and began practicing.

Lucas stayed in his meditative state for almost two more hours before he woke up. When he opened his eyes, they were tranquil as if he had understood something profound about himself. Yawning as he stretched, he spoke to himself,

"What a strange experience."

He smoothly rose to his feet, cracking his neck as he stood up. He tried to recall what he had thought about in his trance but nothing substantial came to mind. He had only vague impressions of the foundation he had chosen but that would be enough.

"I can't build a house in a single day. Let's see what differences I can bring to my style as of now."

With that, he got into a basic stance without thinking too much about it. He took a deep exhale and began his kata. His punches and kicks were slow and deliberate as his mind reflected on every move.

With the kinetic displacement Rune on his chest glowing brighter and brighter, he felt his body get heavier. Each movement required much more effort on his part but he could sense the intangible devastation he wielded. As he practiced, his mind contemplated his kinetic displacement Rune (K.D Rune from now on)

'I'm building up massive amounts of energy but if anything, it's revealing the weakness in my technique rather than assisting me. How do I change that…'

As he shifted from move to move, he contemplated this. His strikes felt weighty, but they lacked the reach and explosiveness he craved. What he aimed for was—

'Why do I fight? I wield my fist for my survival. Whatever stands in the way of that, shall be destroyed!'

He kept his core tight as he threw a weighty punch. His Mind honed in on every muscle used, all three Attributes concentrated on this single blow.

'Release!'

A powerful, transparent stream of energy blasted out of his fist. Staying in his striking posture, he heard it split the air as it traveled tens of meters in less than a second before dispersing. Freezing in his punching pose, he received a notification.

{Requirements met, Achievement unlock—[Amateur Martial Artist].

Reward: Trait unlocked—[Combat instincts].

[Combat instincts]: Your Mind and Physique have been honed by the trials of combat. Your Spirit follows in their footsteps.}

The moment he got the notification, he felt his burning muscles cool down. His Mind automatically directed his body into a much better stance. Picking up on these details, he fell deep in thought,

'Woah… so this is how it feels to have a "foundation". Cool…'

Evélyne's voice suddenly cut in.

"Well done Lucas."

Lucas jumped as his tail tensed and coiled around his waist. He almost bared his canines at Evélyne but the [Pact] made itself known, causing him to clutch his heart in pain.

"Intercour—I mean, dang it Evélyne. You almost gave me a heart attack."

Evélyne looked at him with a neutral gaze as she said,

"Sorry for disturbing you. I just noticed your energy fluctuations while I was practicing, so I came over to take a better look."

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Lucas' ears flicked as he said,

"It's fine, I'm just a little… jumpy is all. Say, would you mind if we sparred again?"

Looking down at Lucas, Evélyne could see his usual fighting spirit within his eyes but more than that, she sensed that repressed wildness unshackling itself from behind his gaze.

'Good.'

"I would love to."

She answered curtly as she turned and began walking back to the training field. Already used to her frankness, Lucas followed behind her. His tail uncoiling from his waist and wagging behind him. They quickly got to the field and Evélyne got into her stance.

Lucas also got into the stance he had learned from Sasha. But this time, there were some slight differences. His stance was narrower while his limbs were looser. His tail wasn't curled around his waist as well as it lazily swung behind him.

Boom.

Not waiting for an invitation, Lucas shot forward and delivered a straight punch towards Evélyne's face. With a neutral expression, Evélyne chopped at his fist in an elusive arc. Her strike heading for his elbow joint.

Lucas smirked as his forward momentum dropped drastically, causing Evélyne's chop to miss. He stood his ground and performed a sharp low kick, his leg became a blurry streak due to its speed.

Evélyne easily avoided the strike as by stamping out a blistering front kick, smashing Lucas in the chest.

Bang!

Lucas flew back with a back flip, landing on both feet while absorbing her kinetic energy, his tail helping him balance himself. Feeling the air shift ahead of him, he leaned back sharply, the back of his head almost touching the ground as he avoided a bone shattering side kick.

'That's about enough.'

With that thought in mind, he shot up from his leaning position like a catapult, smashing out a sharp right hook. With muscles tensed, a transparent film of kinetic energy coated his fist as he released everything he had.

Evélyne met the fist with a crimson palm, resulting in a muted thud. Not even flinching from the heavy blow, she stabbed out with her free hand, going straight for Lucas' brain. The hand moving with the murderous intent of an actual sword.

'Faeces.'

Out of kinetic energy, he had no way to dodge so he just watched her hand froze centimeters away from his eye. After a moment of silence, Evélyne retracted her limbs, calmly saying,

"You lost."

Lucas just smiled excitedly as he said,

"That was awesome! I've never felt like that while fighting. It was like I was in control of my slightest actions but not at the same time."

Evélyne nodded sagely as she said,

"That's how it felt for me when I got the [Combat instincts] trait as well. But learn not to rely on it. You are the master of your own fist, not the other way around."

Lucas' nodded as he tail wagged, he said,

"Could we spar some more?"

Evélyne smiled,

"Of course."

———

Thousands of kilometers away, a sleek aircraft sliced through the void, its hull shimmering with runes as it breached a Tier zero domain's edge. Katlyn stood at the helm, her eyes fixed on the sprawling glow of New Dawn City below.

Five Beastkin flanked her—Nyaar Colblood's deep blue fur gleamed, his eyes scanning the horizon, while four others stood rigid, claws sheathed but ready. The capital's towers pulsed with light, a flawless grid of energy cradling the Prismari's seat of power.

They landed silently on a platform atop the tallest spire, its surface rippling to absorb the skiff's weight. Six Prismari awaited, their vibrant hair crackling with vibrant hues: crimson, violet, azure, gold, emerald, and silver.

Each strand danced faintly as the air buzzed with a very faint ozone. Katlyn stepped forward, the five Beastkin behind her a few steps behind. she said,

"Councilors, we've come to finalize the One World Academy selections. But it seems we are the only ones taking this affair seriously."

Seeing her displeased expression, the crimson-haired Prismari, Veyra, stepped forward and explained, her voice gentle, like the morning sun.

"Thank you for making this trip, Queen Katlyn. Our Lord, Xeus, did not intend to miss such an important affair. Some matters could not be delayed. Please forgive this transgression."

As she said so, she sent over a circular disc floating over to Katlyn. It stopped some centimeters away from her as she read its contents. Her lips slightly curled as she said.

"It's okay, councilor Verya. I can see your sincerity. Some matters truly cannot be ignored."

Verya smiled politely while Beastkins behind Evélyne did their best to remind stoic. Given she had pacified the queen, Verya tried to stir the dialogue into a productive direction.

"I am glad, Queen Katlyn. But we should get to the matter at hand. Hundreds await across our domains, the very finest."

Nyaar growled low, tail flicking, as he sent a small rectangular Rune covered chip floating over to Verya. When she grabbed it with her Spirit energy, it flared to life. A hologram carrying tens of files appeared as Nyaar said,

"We've selected two hundred candidates, Beastkin honed by the trials of combat."

The azure-haired Prismari, Taron, leaned forward. A hologram spawned in front of him and he sent it over to the Beastkin.

"Ours number three hundred. A hundred or so are masters of Runic arts."

He said with a touch of pride as his gaze flicked to Katlyn.

"Do you have any interesting picks, Queen Katlyn?"

Katlyn smiled faintly as her eyes focused.

"I have three picks; Evélyne Lifeblood, Sasha Lifewoven, and Lucas Maverick."

The emerald-haired Prismari, Lyssa, tilted her head, green locks pulsing.

"Could you provide more information on them Queen Katlyn?"

Katlyn's expression flatten as she said,

"No."

The Prismari council all gave Katlyn a measured look. Veyra finally said,

"Very well, shall we head in? We have much to discuss."

Katlyn nodded faintly as she led in her entourage. These twelve individuals were about to decide the fate of the entire planetary domain.

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